Last weekend I had to go down to KL to run some errands. After that the next destination is to Rakuzen at Chulan Square. I found out about this place at Lowyat.net's forum for japanese food and the reviews are generally positive, so I decided to try it out. Other places I've considered are Tenji, Saisaki and Daidamon, but Rakuzen charges quite expensive just for japanese food (unlike the international buffet spread at Tenji) so I hoped to get what I paid for.
Upon entering and confirming my reservation, we were bought to a quiet corner away from the hustle and bustle of the chefs and given two large scented towels and a leaf shaped wasabi. The exterior of Rakuzen is nothing really special but the inside decor is very well done, especially the family rooms, complete with faux Japanese dining table, the type with a hole in the ground for your legs.
I wanted to sit near the chefs and watch them prepare the food, but in hindsight perhaps sitting away from the crowd and noise is better after all. The buffet begins at 12pm and lasts until 3pm.
Strangely the wasabi lacked the 'punch' that I expected, even after dipping generous amounts of it on my food. The place also declined to serve us sweet sauce, and eating wasabi with soy sauce isn't really nice, especially when it makes everything so salty.
Without further ado, Vivien headed straight for the salmon gravy train. 5 juicy pieces of salmon graced our table, followed by another 10 huge, thick slices. She found it very fresh, with a slight hint of staleness as it wasn't as juicy as really fresh salmon. I tasted it and found it was just nice, even for someone like me who generally don't like raw salmon due to the fishy taste of less fresh salmon.
The handroll we ordered, or did we? One criticism I have against Rakuzen is simply the poor service. The waiter and waitresses were generally polite but they seem to be so busy and getting their attention is hard. Another disappointing experience we had was that every time we call for an order, they would fail to deliver an item from our order. The sushi moriawase, chawan mushi, etc, that I ordered never came. I'm not sure what happens in the kitchen, but it seems that if they can't meet your order due to whatever reason, they will just chuck it into the bin. This happened to me when I asked about my green tea ice-cream and they said they ran out of spoons so the order was delayed. On the whole, they didn't really miss out that many items (about one each time I ordered) but it was very annoying.
The speed of cooking is also rather slow (compared to Penang's Tao) but since we stayed the full 3 hours, it meant giving time for our stomachs to rest. However if you are in a hurry (say, less than 1.5 hours to spare), I would advise against Rakuzen, simply because it's so slow.
The edamame was served in a HUGE bowl. At the end of the meal we still have a quarter left. I'm not a fan so Vivien had her day with it.
This sashimi salad is DEFINATELY NOT the least bit like the picture shown on the menu. It's tiny and rather pathetic, with a bit too much dressing for my liking. Taste wise, due to the excessive dressing it wasn't really nice with each bite blasting my tongue with artificial flavours.
This vegetable croquette is much better but when it came to our table, it wasn't hot. It would have been better to serve this to customers piping hot from the frying pan to retain the crispy exterior. Despite that, it's still rather quite nice, like eating deep fried mashed potatos.
Another interesting dish, where japanese tofu is coated in tempura, deep fried then served in a sort of soup.
The dish on the left is seasoned scallops, although I was expecting coin-sized scallops and not this...worm-looking thing. However it tasted quite nice and had a strong seasoning. The crab salad on the right didn't taste like crab and I suspect is more 'crab stick' than 'king crab'.
They have a large selection of sushi but I didn't really try it out. In hindsight I probably should have, as the only sushi we had was the spicy salmon above and it was excellent! Rakuzen didn't try to cheap us out by giving lots of rice with their sushi or handrolls like other buffet places.
I tried the yakimono (grilled items) and just for fun, tried the pregnant fish. Gross! Overwhelming fish smell, the type you get at a wet market was a major turn off for me. I don't think its a freshness problem, probably how the fish is supposed to taste like. The eggs tasted like rubber, but pops in your mouth, a weird but strangely fun sensation, marred by the pungent aroma. I've heard Sango serves EXCELLENT yakitori, but the one from Rakuzen is just okay.
The tempura prawns were delightfully big, juicy and fresh, no hint of staleness whatsoever. Note that when you order 'tempura prawn' from the menu, they will literally give you ONE pathetic prawn. I immediately told the waiter to give me 5 more sets of it. It goes GREAT dipped in sukiyaki.
Sukiyaki, or beef broth, is something I've always enjoyed. The one from Rakuzen is a bit too overwhelming though, with the broth so strong I can't imagine myself drinking it. However, the dish came together with the tempura prawns above and I find myself dipping the prawns into this rich soup.
The highlight of the day is definately Rakuzen's Green Tea ice-cream. I suspect it's home-made but the sugar crystals are very fine and the blend of tea is just nice, giving that initial bang of sweetness and ending with a hint of bitter green tea. It was so awesome that between Vivien and myself, we had 14 scoops of it. Yes, fourteen.
Another popular item on the menu is the soft-shelled crab. I didn't really fancy it on its own, but together with sushi it was awesome in the form of spider rolls.
The partial remnants of our green tea ice cream binge.
Vivien mixed edamame into her ice cream. I'm not sure how it turned out for her.
At RM55++, it's definitely on the higher end scale for Japanese buffet. It's all-you-can-eat and the waiters serve you at your table, unlike the horrible experience I had at Jogoya and from what I hear, similar stories from Tenji. I just wish they were faster, more alert, and fill out my order more accurately.
Rakuzen, in a nutshell, is an enjoyable experience. Their menu is rather sparse though, but you get quality Japanese food and with good service (for KL buffet standards anyway, although Tao remains the experience to beat). I won't be returning here next time I'm in KL, but only because I want to see if there are better places out there.
The menu, please click through for the full uncompressed picture.
Reservation Number: 03-2145 6200
Directions: Take the Monorail to Bukit Bintang then head in the direction of Pavilion. Follow Jalan Bukit Bintang all the way to the end and opposite Pavilion is Chulan Square, where Rakuzen is located.
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4 comments:
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Khor u mentioned that rakuzen is more expensive then tenji but the pricing is rm 55 per person, 2 weeks ago i wen to tenji and it costs rm 102 per pax on the international buffet?!
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